The Changes We've Made
by Harmoniche
Summary: A story from the beginning between Amell and Anders. From the Tower till after the destruction of the Chantry. Can Amell keep up? Or will she lose the only man she's loved to Vengeance? Dropped. I might try again, though.
1. Grey Skies and Butterflies

Author's note: I do not own Dragon Age, nor its characters. This is a fanbased story and-blah, blah, blah. I really hate doing that. But, um. Anywho. This is my first fanfiction. I've always had a thing for fanfiction, and used to be obsessed. Erm. One word for it, I guess. I'm on my 8th or so time, playing Origins and I couldn't stand it. I needed to read/write some fanfiction. I have a love for the following characters: Nathaniel, Anders, Sebastian. I know, I know. It used o be Fenris. But then I spoiled DA2 with all this footage... and I'm a bit bored, now. As I am with most characters. But regardless, I enjoy them. Um. Enjoy?

Pairing: Anders x Amell (Human Noble)

Timeframe: From the very beginning in Origins, to Awakening, DA2 then afterwards (time skips)

Rating: Mm... Some mature content. In later chapters, perhaps.

_**Chapter 1**_

**Grey Skies and Butterflies**

Sloane walked through the halls of the tower aimlessly. Sometimes, she felt that her existence to be just as aimless as the direction of the Circle. Doomed to be scrutinized and judged by people who didn't know what it was like to have power. To be feared unnecessarily out of ignorance. Why couldn't they just understand that everyone has the potential to be dangerous? She scoffed, at the thought of someone having the mental capacity to understand her. Wasn't a man with sword and shield just as dangerous? Wasn't mankind itself pathetically corrupt, unable to resist temptation?

Her arrogance, did not flourish from being a mage. It grew from skill, and determination-as well as the intelligence she possessed. Leaning against the tower walls, she couldn't help but wonder, _Why is it I'm here? It was better than home. A home..._ She stopped for a moment, mind on idle. Home? What was it? It wasn't like she hated the Tower with a passion. She actually didn't mind staying at the Tower. Much. The lack of freedom suffocated her. The glimpses of the sun she caught threw greyed windows only upset her. The ever-watching templars watching them through the cool slits in their helmets made her shiver.

She fiddled with the her robes absentmindedly, thinking of her past life in the tower. Of her friends, and... Cullen. Yes, Cullen. And Niall. She found her senior mage quite... appealing, as well as the templar guarded outside her rooms who blushed like a tomato at the slightest glance from her. She knew she wasn't one to talk, seeing as she blushed just as much-but she found it incredibly adorable when he would give her puppy eyes when she thought she wasn't looking. Sloane gave a shy smile, remembering the time she was lounging in the hall complaining to Jowan about how she was hungry. Soon after-coincidentally, of course-Cullen dropped by and snuck her a sandwich from the kitchens. Her few friends, and him were the things keeping her happy. There were pluses to the Tower, despite everything.

One of the things she enjoyed most about where she stayed as the education. To be able to learn of her gift, and the rules of it intrigued her. There were always new things to learn-to experiment with. One of her favorite activities was overlapping her spells, making new combinations and logging them in her journal. She always felt such overwhelming satisfaction when she discovered a new combination. Then she had realization, that she would probably never be able to use them. She sighed.

"Hush, now. Quiet yourself, lest we be heard." The voice was soon followed by a feminine giggle. _What? What the hell? _For a moment, she stood there, eyebrow arched and eyes flat staring into the wall in front of her.

"Yes, there! Oh, Anders!" _Does he have to do this all the time? Sheesh._ Sloane twitched in irritation, eyes closing and fingers pinching her brows in frustration. She swiveled around and stomped into the quarters she was outside of and slammed the door angrily. _Why, in Andraste's name were they doing this now? Why at all! _she thought, as she searched the room for the source of the sound. She stopped for a moment and glared at the closet incredulously. Her closet. Maybe it was time to test out a few new spells. Violent, lethal spells. Ridiculously dangerous, and ridiculously painful spells. Spells, where silence would become reality and no one could shout: "Yes, there! Oh, Anders!"

The mage stalked toward the closet angrily, "Get out, or I'll throw you out of the Tower from the top floor." Sloane hissed, hearing a low shudder and an airy sigh, before a man stepped out, dirty blond hair amiss and robes torn. She noted the scratches on his chest and arched an eyebrow. He shrugged helplessly and attempted to fix his robe. She was surprised at how much damage was done. "I sure as hell didn't do it." he chuckled.

He grinned when he saw her, eyes looking her up and down appreciatively. Sloane replied to his leering gaze, with a roll of her eyes. Playboys. "Why is it a closet? More importantly, why is it my closet?" she seethed. He laughed, surprising her. The laugh was rich-but soft, and oddly enough it was good natured. It was like caramel, thick and sweet. She decided she liked the sound.

"Can't you just go... I don't know. Into an archdemon's mouth and do your business there? You obviously don't care much for comfort."

He shrugged, "It got a bit heated, you know. I cast one fireball-figuratively speaking, of course-and she's all over me. But it seems like it was the closest place, with something to cover us." he explained, a languid smile growing, before he looked up at Sloane sheepishly, with a hint of superficial fear, "Speaking of cover, I should probably find some-Maker knows what you have under those robes to kill me with." He smirked, hazel eyes teasing.

That made her snap. Sloane walked over to him in three strides and kicked his arse out of the quarters. The woman in the closet, had decided that she should probably come out and winced when she saw Sloane.

"By Andraste's name, what are you?" she screamed as Sloane threw her out, mercilessly onto Anders. He groaned. "You weren't that heavy when I carried you to the closet!" Sloane rolled her eyes, before grinning and slammed the door in their faces. Weight spells. Taking a deep breath, she sat down against the door letting her head rest against the thick oak. She couldn't help but think of how her unease grew by the day, as she fingered the runes on the door. No magic in, no magic out. The idiots in the tower, didn't help either-they were the main causes of why they weren't allowed to practice magic in their rooms anymore. They made it worse. Shocking. "I can't live like this..." she murmured. At times like this, she wishes the tower had brownies. But alas, no brownies for Sloane. No brownies... But there is Cullen. He's just as sweet. She thought, touching her lips mischievously as a giggle escaped. I wonder if he's guarding the front doors tonight. No one is ever there, anyway...

She peeked behind the door, wincing as she discovered a small crack that had not been there earlier. She grinned. "Coast is clear." she smirked, stepping out.

"Not so fast." she looked to her left, in shock then laughed. She gazed up to find Anders, dressed properly and hair in a messy pony tail. No threat, here. To think she thought she might be in actual danger. She shook her head in laughter, "It's just you. The sex addict." Her anger had already dissipated at the thought of brownies. And Cullen. Or maybe Cullen baking her brownies in nothing but an apron. For a moment, she felt like the sex addict.

"I'll see you around, Ponytail." She caught a twitch of his mouth, whether in anger of amusement she did not know, as she turned towards the main hall.

"Wait, Sloane." she stopped, amber eyes curious, "How do you know my name?" He rolled his eyes. "I think that-both you and I-have noticed this tower needs a little re-populating." he smirked. Sloane just stared back at him. It wasn't funny. He winced slightly, "So, uh. I'm sorry-about your closet, I mean-I always figured things should have multiple purposes. So why not a closet?"

_This man... is incredibly awkward._ Sloane thought, giving him a dry look. She studied his face for a few moments. He was handsome, and a very talented mage despite his reputation. But when he smiled like this-so good natured-she couldn't help but want to be mean to him. He was like a puppy. The meaner part of her, wanted to break its spirit. The other part was just like it. She tried killing the part that was similar when she murmured, "Try-hard."

Perhaps she should of said something charming, maybe even given a flirty smile, but she was deeply unsettled. This... this similarity that they shared hurt, and Sloane's mild understanding of herself was wavering. But she had to admit, she was just as awkward as she waited alone in a tower for an imaginary prince to save her.

Yay for chapter 1? D;


	2. Aren't You Hot?

The Changes We've Made {2}

by xXOntheBrightsideXx

Chapter Title: **Aren't You Hot?**

Author: xXOntheBrightsideXx

Rating: T: Cursing, etc.

Word Count:

Pairing: Amell x Anders

I've adoped to Silvy's format. x-x Much easier.

_Chapter 2 _

**Aren't You Hot?**

Anders watched her retreating figure graze the doors of the hall. She wasn't even scared of being caught. A templar could sneak up ion her any moment, but she strode away like no one had ever inhabited the Tower in the first place. He couldn't help but feel a prickle of admiration as she turned the corner. The thought that they may become friends was soon quenched when he realized he had never had a female friend to begin with. He even had his fun with Namaya, an elven contact he knew while on the run. Standing in the hallway with no one in sight, his heart began to pound with the irrational fear that he may be seen. It was something that only came from being on the run. Anders knew he'd been caught enough times to develop it, and it saddened him as well as First Enchanter Irving. He didn't miss the sad looks the old man threw his way. He just turned a blind eye.

Anders swallowed. Something about that girl confused him. Her mood swings could only have one word of description: stupid-ridiculous. He knew his dictionary had all kinds of insane words, but this seemed the most appropriate. She was either really happy, very angry or incredibly quiet and apathetic. The more he thought about it, the more it confused so he blamed it on her sex. _Girls. He'd never understand them_, he thought shuffling to his room.

Sloane had finally reached the doors out of the Tower when she noticed Cullen was nowhere to be found. Something wasn't right. The mage felt the hairs on her neck rise, and she covered herself with her arms. It was getting very cold. It was too much to hope, she knew, that a window was open. Sloane narrowed her eyes as she drew a small flame into her hand, molding it to her will. Her consciousness was fading, lulling away into the Fade. Not good. Fighting with her eyes to stay awake she tried to burn herself with the fire. Before she could press the flame to her skin she felt someone cover her mouth. She elbowed him on reflex, wincing as her funny bone hit the hard metal. A templar.

"Shh, Sloane. If you're not quiet, they'll find us." The voice murmured. It was a soothing sound, calming her immediately. It was Cullen's voice. She found it odd that he wasn't stuttering, and didn't recognize him at first.

When Cullen let go they let out a sigh of relief. Moving away from the door and out of the hall they tip toed toward the nearest room. Cullen cringed at how loud his armor was, "I wish I could just wear some nice breeches and a linen shirt. But no, I have to wear this armor all the time..." Sloane smirked, "That'd be a nice sight." Cullen blushed, but smiled averting eye contact.

"We should be safe... er here." Cullen said, closing the door as quietly as he could. Sloane rolled her eyes before sneaking a glance at the young templar. His cheeks were flushed and his forehead was damp with sweat. _That armor must be hot. I feel sorry for the templars for once. We have it easy in the clothing department_, she thought hiding a scoff.

The girl cocked her head curiously, staring at Cullen intensely. "Aren't you hot?" Cullen's head snapped up, eyes wide and cheeks flaming, "P-Pardon?" she nodded towards his armor and he relaxed slightly. "A bit, I suppose."

Sloane frowned at the armor, "It's so big and clunky-and dare I say it-ugly." she muttered knocking her knuckles against it in disgust. Sighing, she looked around the room, trying to find something more comfortable for him. Instead, she found herself looking around the room, touching and fiddling with things she knew she wasn't supposed to. They were in the infirmary. She hadn't been in this room, aside from the time she ran into a wall while going to class. It had given her a good bruise lasting a month, or two on her forehead as well as a great deal of teasing from her classmates. What she had in her mind was nothing but a blurry memory, as she hurried out of the infirmary to her quarters to hide from the other children.

It was then that the low hissing sounds came. Her amber eyes darkened in unease, narrowing at the door. "Cullen... What's going on? Why is it so quiet?" she asked, grasping at his gauntlets. He just shook his head and looked away. Sloane gritted her teeth and pulled his face towards hers. "Come on, Cullen. We could die, if you don't tell me now."

She saw him mouth something, but he said it too softly to hear. "Wha-" Neither of them could move. They were frozen in place as she saw the demon approach, a cruel grin crossing its face. Pride. Face to face with this type of demon... Sloane knew that she was screwed before she was launched into the Fade through the tear in the Veil. At least she knew what Cullen was saying now.

Sorry the chapter is so short. The other chapter was supposed to be part of it, but I only had time to type up this part. D; Sorry for all the punctuation/everything/mistakes/bad stoofs.


	3. It Doesn't Hurt

The Changes We've Made 3

by xXOntheBrightsideXx

Chapter Title: It Doesn't Hurt

Author: xXOntheBrightsideXx

Rating: T: Cursing, etc.

Pairing: Amell x Anders

This chapter is dedicated to a good friend of mine. I hope she enjoys it.

_Chapter 3_

**It Doesn't Hurt**

Anders didn't need to hear any screams, or cries of terror to know something was wrong. He knew he needed to remain calm-no matter what the situation was. It was much too quiet in the Tower. So quiet, he could hear his own heartbeat. The sound itself unnerved him.

Around this time people would be bustling to get to the dining room to eat, but Anders heard nothing but the quiet rumblings that came from living in such an old building. At least the dwarves built it well, regardless of all the creepy sounds haunting his sleep. The Avvars made it long ago, before being driven out by the Tevinter Imperium. A small part of Anders wondered if he could run all the way to Minrathous. In Tevinter he might be accepted as a powerful mage. But... no. He couldn't think about that. There were all kinds of bad things in Tevinter. The Black Divine, the slavery and the underlying blood magic... But mages were respected. They had power and... they had freedom, regardless of the Chantry, he-this had to stop. He couldn't think of possibilities when he hadn't the possibility to create chances for himself.

He could escape in the chaos. The temptation was almost too much. But the tug on his conscience was stronger than the need to free himself from the shackles of the Circle. Even if there were templars in the tower that he could abandon, there were mages he couldn't. He had been given an opportunity to help them and he wouldn't let that go.

He gritted his teeth as he slipped out of the room. He could sense the demons everywhere. The tower was crawling with them. He best tread carefully, whether they were near him or not. He needed to do something-but what? Irving. He needed to get to the First Enchanter and do something.

Anders cringed at the sound of his feet crunching on carpet. Everything seemed incredibly loud in this silence. His heart pounded harder when he heard the low hissing sounds. It definitely wasn't human and it came from the dining room. Anders grimaced, "By Andraste... I know I'm going to regret this." he muttered cracking the door open. He was shocked to find half of the Tower's mages there, dreaming in the Fade. His eyes searched the room for a familiar face or someone who had regained consciousness but found nothing but disappointment. He knew something bad was about to happen, as he turned towards the door, eyes feeling heavy. It slammed shut. "How unoriginal..." he whispered before passing the Veil to join his fellow mages.

"Bloody Fade!" screamed Sloane as she came to the same dead end for the fifth time, smacking her head against the spongy wall. "If someone is going to make a dream world they can at least make it realistic!" she paused, thinking about what she just said before slapping her hand to her forehead.

She had been trapped in a sort of hedge maze for Maker-knows how long and was getting increasingly frustrated-and hungry. Hungry being the dangerous factor in the equation. When Sloane didn't eat she was like a mad mabari using Nemesis. Thankfully, the other residents of the Tower knew this and steered clear.

Examining the area once more, she noticed a door with a heart on it. "At least they're consistent... I've already been in the brain. I wish they had a liver. That's truly important." she grinned, thinking of her first sip of ale. A cool wind tickled her arms, and she shivered pushing the door open with resignation. As much as she hated it, she'd need to go through it anyway. The Fade liked to remain complicated.

What the mage found did not surprise her. Her dreams had been guilted with this nightmare time and time again. When they became unbearable she would simply ignore the need for sleep. It was how hard she tried and what methods she used to ignore the sleep that disturbed her.

It's not anything new, she thought as she stared at the scene. The image of her mother and father burning to ashes were nothing but a sore on her heart. At least... if they were a sore, they'd only ache. They wouldn't pulse and bleed like fresh wounds. She had her brother, but she knew how much he loved her that he blamed her just as much.

Sloane felt her heart twinge as she turned inward to look at herself. When she saw this play, she couldn't help the hatred she felt for the little girl who stood in the middle of chaos, resigned with what happened. Guilt stricken and alone. That was her. Each time the girl incinerated her parents she wanted to kill her over and over. To feel the warm gush of blood soak her hands as she plunged the dagger into her heart. But she didn't.

She wanted to cry, but she'd never cry. She didn't know if it was because crying made her feel weak, or if it was because she'd wanted to be tough. They weren't the same thing to her. Sloane didn't leave behind her past; she hated herself for it. Every moment in her existence was a shame shadowed by what happened. The one person who refused to save her would be herself... and she knew it. It kept her safe from the things she didn't deserve. She didn't want to. But she needed to hate herself. She didn't deserve love, and the affections of others. Filling herself with empty feelings and loneliness was how she lived. In her eyes, she didn't even deserve to feel hurt or lonely. She didn't deserve anything. But despite all this... she wanted it.

It was an endless cycle driven by hate and worth. She hated herself for wanting to not hate herself. She hated herself for having the nerve to hate someone. She couldn't think of the person being hated and the person hating as one person, but they were. In her mind, the person she was and the person being hated were two separate beings. The person being hated wasn't worth anything but death and torture from the one hating. But the person who was hating was hating herself, because they were the same person. It wasn't that hard to understand. Not when you thought long and hard for a few years.

Her brows furrowed as she heard the click of the door, but she did not turn to see who it was. If it was a demon who came to kill her, she'd let them. It was a sweet release she didn't deserve, but desired. She didn't care anymore. Sloane wanted to die at this moment-maybe not tomorrow, maybe not ten years from now-but right now she did, and this might save her from hurt in the long run.

She heard a short movement and felt their presence behind her. If they wanted to watch she could just dream another chair. If they wanted to kill, why not dream a knife?

"Sloane?" She recognized the voice. It was the nice caramel-like voice that laughed with her before. It was sweet sounding and made her feel human. He repeated it when he thought she could not hear him.

The girl gave a soft laughing before responding, "I hear you, Pony Tail. Now stop with your incessant calls." he complied sitting beside her.

The play was repeating itself from the beginning, now. The entry fee that she paid was her pain, but it would never be enough for the demons. Her head began to pound and her legs began to tingle. She had been sitting here far too long. Sloane wondered if it were possible to die from heartache.

"That's you, right?" he whispered staring at the girl, entranced. It didn't matter if she was beautiful-she was a monster beyond looks. She didn't respond. Sloane meant the silence as a 'no', but they both knew she was lying. Neither of them spoke of the fib as it replayed again.

She didn't have the energy to speak. It wasn't because her body was wasting away in physical world, but because speaking would just hurt her more. She was much too old for her age.

Sloane gave a sad smile and a short laugh, before she confessed, "That's me." the voice that spoke was singed with bitterness and sadness. Both of which couldn't be contained at this point. She stood up and stretched, lacing her fingers together and taking deep breaths. Staring at the fire for a moment then casting Cone of Cold, she opened the door.

"Aren't you coming? We have a demon to kill, you know." Anders couldn't speak-but even if he could, he wouldn't have. The girl standing before him was sad. She hid her loneliness through a shield of happiness. He wished she were more transparent, but she might get angry at him for that. So he followed her through the Fade without a question, remaining by her side in silence.

Awfully written. I have no excuse. But I promise/hope the next chapters will be better. x-x


	4. Bet it All on Pride

Chapter Title: The Fade's Much Bigger Than the Tower

Author: xXOntheBrightsideXx/Harmoniche

{Sorry if there's been any confusion... xXOntheBrightsideXx is my dA. D; Sorryyy. I've been going between them and it's a bit confusing.}

Rating: T: Cursing, etc.

Pairing: Amell x Anders

Chapter 4

Bet It All on Pride

"Mhm..." Sloane scratched her chin, lost in thought. For a while Anders said nothing, but as the minutes passed on, they stayed in the same place, Sloane still scratching her chin. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, "What?" The girl didn't even give him as much of a glance. "We're lost." Anders threw his hands up in the air, "You can't be serious!" She gave him a sideways glance, telling him she was. He ran a hand through his hair in irritation. How long can they last in the Fade, while their bodies waste away in the real world?

"If they made maps of the Fade, I would buy one. But we don't even have money. So that's a problem, I guess." Sloane stopped for a moment then grinned, snapping her fingers. She had an idea. "Anders, give me that staff of yours." He looked at her warily, holding the staff behind himself protectively. A frown creased on her brows as she looked at him, "Anders, since when am I anything but responsible?" He just stared at her. That answered something. Sloane slapped him upside the head and took the staff knocking him on the nose with the tip of it.

"Shows what you know about me." she scoffed, drawing a small map into a twisted structure nearby, sharpening the end of the staff with some fire. Anders gazed at her in horror, mouth gaping as he took the staff from her. She just stared at the structure, eyes glazed.

"Ah. I forgot. I could of just used lightning." she murmured, index finger glowing with electricity as she traced it along the structure. "M... my staff." Anders whined, stroking it. Sloane sighed. "When I pass my Harrowing, you can have my staff. I don't really care for the damn things anyway." he glared at her. Sloane frowned, "I'm sorry. I honestly didn't think of it. I'll try and make it up to you." he sighed, "Don't worry about it. You were just trying to get us out of this hellish place." She looked away, fiddling with her robes again. It was a bad habit, that she'd tried to break many times, but failed miserably at. Whenever she found herself nervous she would end up twisting and wrapping the tie of her neck around her fingers, anxiously. She decided that she ought to break it, anyway. If she kept it up, her robes may unwind and the stitching... That would be true chaos.

But regardless of her feelings, she needed to get them out of here. Them? When did she start taking Anders under her wing? When did he become a consideration? She hated it. She had the inability to say 'no'. This kindness that she possessed, and one day that would be the thing that killed her. He was an idiot, but he could surely escape this place on his own accord... right? She shook her head, throwing the thoughts to the back of her mind. Thinking more into these things, would only result in problems.

"Take a deep breath, Pony Tail. Take a deep breath and think about what happened before we got our arses kicked here." Anders rolled his eyes, and she shot him a glare. He sighed and took a few deep breaths. "It's fuzzy." he murmured "Isn't it always?" he ignored the comment and continued to give himself the necessary time to take in air and breathe it out. His brows furrowed, as his fingers clutched each other helplessly, struggling to grasp something physical. It felt like he was having a conscious nightmare in a dream world. The demon was closing in on him, going to feast on his soul. But he couldn't do anything it. He was paralyzed, and he could feel the demon feeding on him, every second.

Once, during his alchemy class, he had made a joke about making a potion to suck your soul out. He regretted the little laughs he got, now, because at this moment there wasn't a single potion he could make or spell he could cast to get his soul back if it were taken. He didn't love anyone. He had no close friends. There was no one to save him... He couldn't help but thinking this even as he was being pulled from the darkness. Warmth. The cold emptiness was gone and it was replaced with a blinding... stunning... warmth, one of which he had never felt before. Then he was safe, alive and breathing.

"Oi. Anders, do you want me to let the demons eat you? Sheesh. You're so useless." The words may have seemed harsh, but even Anders knew. He could tell that there was a cracking in her voice, as if she were near tears. His eyes were adjusting, and the blinding light had vanished. The air was luke-warm, now, growing colder by the minute. The loving moment he'd had, now vanished into the Fade. His eyes lowered. Ah. So that's what it was. She saved me. Never would of come up with that in my dreams.

He could now see clearly. Sloane was above him, hand poised, ready to slap him and face set into an arrogant pout. He couldn't help but laugh, "What debt shall I have to you, now? Shall I work as your slave? I'll be the mage, and you be the templar, miss!" Her lips curled into a smile, and he felt like the demon was feeding on his soul again-but this time it was much more pleasurable and just as scary.

"I don't know how you attract so much trouble. Maybe it's because you're weak. When we get to the tower, I'll teach you some attack spells. You'll die, otherwise. You're not a cat, you know, you don't have nine lives you lack a tail." Anders laughed. She said it so as-a-matter-of-fact that it was silly. She frowned at him and pressed a hand to his forehead roughly. He felt the skin there tingle, and shivered. "What kind of spell is that?" he asked, touching his forehead gingerly. "I feel... rejuvenated." she arched an eyebrow, probably at his stupidity. "It's Rejuvenate. You really know nothing, don't you?" she muttered, lips drawing a fine line on her face. Anders gave her a dry look, but said nothing.

"It's about time we get out of here. We've probably been unconscious for about ten hours, in the physical world." Sloane murmured, her cool demeanor come back. Anders sighed. Back in her shell. But...

Change isn't something I wish for, anymore...

I long for it.


	5. In the Future

The Changes We've Made 5

Chapter Title: In the Future...

Author: xXOntheBrightsideXx/Harmoniche

Rating: T: Cursing, etc.

Pairing: Amell x Anders

Sloane was getting tired. It wasn't because she was wandering around the Fade for how long-it was because she was even in the Fade. Her physical body was slowly dying and she knew it. They had to get out of here quickly.

Sloane looked around and saw a small mouse, blurred grey-brown by the Fade.

"Anders. Why is there a mouse here?" she said staring at the animal. The temptation to poke at it was almost too great. Anders narrowed his eyes and crouched down beside it.

"...owing..." Sloane blinked. "Excuse me?" he looked up at her, lips parted in a sense of surprise and eyes narrowing in suspicion. "This... this mouse you see here, was in my Harrowing. He was my test. You see, when I went into the Fade for my Harrowing-there was this mouse and he pretended to help me and everything, I knew, I mean I knew that he would betray me-and he did. He betrayed me and turned into a demon saying that some tests are never over or something."

Sloane stared at him in silence, contemplating his story. "Well... That was in-depth. Now, my Harrowing will be a snap." she chuckled. "Let's see how powerful these demons are, shall we?"

Along the way, Anders explained to her which spots in the Fade he recognized, all the twisted structures and distant buildings-but there was something he didn't recognize. Stones. These... pillar-like boulders surrounded the place where he had faced the demon last time. "What the..."

Sloane stepped forward, fingertips a hairsbreadth away and touched it. The action sent shock waves through the air and she gasped. A barrier... Sloane moaned in dismay. Another thing that kept her from getting out of here. At this point she just wanted to punch down the boulders screaming what a miserable bastard this demon was and how he had absolutely no life.

"Let me guess: We have to figure out how to get past this. Hazzah!" she said sarcastically, clamping her face onto her cheeks dramatically. Anders ignored her and looked at the ring of boulders quizzically, looking for some sort of clue. He found one.

"A rune." he whispered, eyes growing wider. "And here... and here! We can do it-we can get out of this place!" Sloane looked at him-at the hope that was in his eyes. Hope. It was an unforgiving emotion. You gave and gave and gave your energy to it with no guarantee of it ever happening. Hope was hopeless most of the time... and it made Sloane's eyes darken just thinking about it.

She saw Anders throw a few spells at each of the rune stones, testing them after being thrown back with a short burst of lightning and scrambling to get up after each attack. He's desperate, not giving up. This is something I don't understand, but I understand perfectly. Sloane studied him for a few more moments before stepping forward and grabbing him off the ground. She looked at him once before casting some sort of spell to get rid of whatever illusions were on the boulders. They could now see clearly what each rune was-they were close.

"Listen. Look at the type of runes on the boulders. Hale, Tempest, Immunity and Stout. I'll do the attack spells and you do some buffing spells in relation to these runes. Understand?" he nodded slightly, his pony tail shaking slightly as his headed bobbed up and down.

Sloane narrowed her eyes as each of the boulders exploded. "It seems that seemed to have backfired whatever charm was on them." she murmured. "This seems a little easy. But it doesn't matter. Lead the way, Anders."

His heart thudded at the serious look in her eyes. The way she studied him with a simple curiosity unravelled him, and filled him with nervousness. He couldn't look away and it saddened him when she began to look at what was in front of him. A demon of pride.

"Oh? What do we have here?" the demon drawled, his gelatinous body moving in waves, "Two little mages and a businessman." Sloane seemed to be amused at his wording and she smiled,

"Businessman? I think not. We're not here to talk, demon." she said, eyes bored.

Anders looked back and forth between the two of them. It was like a fight against equals. She stood proud and tall against him, though he could kill her in an instant.

The demon was just as amused as she was in the beginning. "This seems interesting. Okay. I'll come back another day-just for you! We can have fun, then. How about that? No deals, or pathetic debts, young lady. Just my word and my entertainment. Okay?" Sloane tilted her head in curiosity, "So you'll essentially leave today, for nothing, but come back for me for some fun later on? Sounds interesting. I'll look forward to seeing you, Mr. Demon." the demon grinned and let out a grow before turning to steam and vanishing.

Anders couldn't speak. She hadn't technically made a deal with the demon. It was a freebie. If the demon had really wanted something aside from a fight with her later on, he would of said so... right? Just as Anders turned to speak to her light flashed and they were back into the Tower, safe as they can be with what they were. Mages.


End file.
